Fire Cider Instead of Coffee

I used to depend too much on coffee.  Up until a few years ago, I would consume 3-4 cups a day.  

Over-dependence on coffee (caffeine) is similar to any other kind of substance abuse, in that it's not really sustainable and and it comes with significant side effects: stress on the heart, messed up adrenal glands, headaches, anxiety, brain fog, energy crashes after the "high" wears off, irregular sleep and a wrecked gut.

But to get past my dependence on coffee, I had to answer the question: How can I function at a high level mentally or physically without coffee?

The answer is to live with a holistic mindset, and have enough faith in God's design to transition out of my current diet.  Fire Cider just happened to be a major piece of the process to get me to a better place holistically.

A Healthier Kind of Energy

I was surprised to discover how much my energy levels benefitted from taking a shot (two-ish tablespoons) of fire cider every day.  Of course, holistic living in general will produce sustainable energy levels.  But I have noticed that the fire cider specifically is a useful tool for gently boosting my mental and physical energy levels. 

This is the result of having a healthier gut. Boosting gut health has the effect of making the whole body work better, which has the practical side effect of producing healthy energy levels throughout the day.

There are a variety of other steps average Americans can take to consume more gut-healthy foods, taking fire cider just happens to be a good, proactive starting point. 

fire cider is ready to be filtered after 4-6 weeks

Fermentation: Old School Technology

To take fire cider every day as a tonic is to tap into some old world technology that has been largely lost on us "more sophisticated" modern folk.  That technology is fermentation. 

Fermentation is a tool that has been used for centuries to preserve food.  Incidentally, the micro-biology that goes along with fermentation is extremely beneficial for the human digestive system.

Make Better Decisions and Have a Little Faith

Transitioning out of my average American diet has taken some patience and faith. And I'm not perfect yet, by any means, but I've made a lot of progress.

It was difficult for me to leave behind my need to "feel full" (bloated) every time I ate.  But there was an gut related reason why I felt so tired after eating a Chipotle burrito packed with meat, sour cream and cheese.  My gut struggled to process all that dairy, gluten and meat, and I felt the effects of that struggle in form of physical fatigue for 1-2 hours after eating.  

It was also difficult for me to give up sugar.  For some reason, I needed everything to taste sweet.  It took me over a year to get used to eating foods that have little to no sugar, but I find that my energy levels are much better for that as well.  I also lost quite a bit of weight (around 30 pounds) to a great extent because of quitting sugar.  But it was quite a challenge to change my tastes and my shopping habits, especially when almost everything at the grocery store is loaded with processed sugar.

Take One Step at a Time

I could keep going on about holistic / gut health but that should be enough for one blog post!

You can take one one simple step today, and try our fire cider.  Think of it as experiment.  If it doesn't work, then you haven't lost anything.  Just remember that you have to be consistent! Take 1-2 tablespoons every day over the course of weeks and months and (especially if you also integrate some dietary changes) you will notice a total mind and body transformation. 

Have a great week, 

- Patrick